I feel like postpartum period is something that you can only prepare for to a certain degree. Since labor and delivery varies, postpartum symptoms and needs varies as well.
*Disclaimer: this blog post is not intended for medical advice, just sharing personal experiences for entertainment purposes. Please consult your healthcare professional for your individual conditions.*
The very early days
Recovering from a natural VBAC at hospital this time around felt very different than last time from a Caesarean section. My tailbone and my stitches hurt, so both sitting up and leaning back on the hospital bed was hard for me.But whenever a nurse asks me my level of pain, I could only say 3 maybe 4. Because nothing can be as intense as what I have just experienced hours ago.
For the tail bone pain, the hospital nurse gave me instant ice packs for cool compress. However it didn’t seem to help much for me.
Baby C was born at 36 weeks 4 days, which is 3 days shy of the 37 weeks mark for full term babies. This late pre-term birth called for frequent juandice monitoring through heel poke blood draws on baby C. These late pre-term procedures for baby C made us had to stay 2 nights at the hospital. Just have to say toddler G (and Daddy too) did superb without Mommy around. He really grew up to be the big brother!
Begining breastfeeding
Compared to early days of baby G, breastfeeding came a lot easier and more natural with baby C. I am thankful for the good amount of supply since second day postpartum. I was able to collect extra letdowns with a medicine cup and make that a top up feed right after nursing or store away for later feeds. Wish I was better prepared to bring the Haakaa Ladybug breast milk letdown collectors along with bottles and cooler bag to the hospital!
“Sitting the month” at home
Following the traditional Chinese traditions, I tried to stay home and rest for the first month except for appointments. This “sitting the month” practice also includes a postpartum diet that for many women helped replenish lost nutrients and changed their health for the better. If you are looking into postpartum meal delivery in the Greater Toronto Area, I recommend wohebaobei!
To help with the healing of stitches, with the time that I could squeeze some selfcare in, I used a herbal sitz bath by Earth Mama and also some padsicles. After much attempts I finally realized lying down flat with legs closed is the best resting position to promote healing. Wish I knew it earlier!
We are very blessed to have my hubby taking a month off for paternity leave. During the leave he took care of toddler G from wake up to bedtime. They got a monthly pass to a nearby indoor playground where they go once to twice a week. They were frequent patrons at local earlyON programs, which are provincially funded playgroups, as well. For mom to have a smooth transition and recovery, daddy is truly the hero!